Michael Jackson Feared Assassination

According to the late icon's former bodyguard, Matt Fiddes, Michael Jackson was so convinced he would be assassinated on stage during his comeback concerts, he considered wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009 just weeks before he was scheduled to hit the stage in London with his This Is It series of epic comeback concerts.

As Jackson's murder trial with Dr. Conrad Murray, who pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter, is underway in Los Angeles, new revelations about the late entertainer are beginning to surface.

Jackson's former security guard has now opened up about his time with the King of Pop, revealing the singer wore a bullet-proof vest during his highly publicized 2005 child molestation trial. Jackson was eventually cleared of those charges, but constantly feared for his life during, and apparently after the ordeal.

Fiddes told Britain's The People, "Michael said to me, 'I fear I'm not going to make these concerts, or may get assassinated onstage. Please could you make sure my children are OK.' He was a mess. He told me that during his four-month trial ... he had to wear a bullet-proof vest every day. Michael said he would have to wear one through the concerts and wasn't sure how he'd get through them because of his worries."

The former bodyguard also claims that Jackson was so scared before the press conference in London, where he announced his This Is It concert series, that he drank to steady his nerves before the public appearance.

"Michael got it into his head that someone would shoot him so he drank whiskey, virtually a half-bottle, to steady himself. It was his first public appearance for ages and he believed he was going to get murdered because of all the bad press from his past," Fiddes said.

Jackson's alleged paranoia follows another recent revelation that came to light during the trial, his eldest children Prince and Paris were in their father's bedroom when he died.